


Too Smart

by Blue_Hood



Category: Original Work
Genre: Brothers, Family, Family Drama, Gen, Geniuses, Government Conspiracy, Headcanon, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:42:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23514097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood
Summary: Those of high intellect are always threats





	Too Smart

Brothers David and Carson Miller are homeschooled in a small Southern/desert town. David, the older brother, tutors Carson and they both use their parents' identities to attend various online college programs. The two genius brothers are found out when they help their local police crack a conspiracy. Eventually word spreads outside their small town and the brothers are separated as they're taken into federal custody. Detained at an undisclosed location, they demand to be reunited and see a lawyer of their choosing. Their captors offer to meet their demands in exchange for cooperation as they attempt to determine how smart the brothers are. Refusing the agents' demands, the brothers hold out against various tactics until one of the younger agents steps in, stopping his colleagues from moving onto _enhanced interrogation_.

Reunited, the brothers manage to circumvent their overseers and formulate plans to overcome the next phase of interrogation. Befriending the one good man they've met thus far, they allow testing in exchange for a real education for all kids like them. They're moved to another facility, this one with woods nearby and a gate, which is converted into a school. The genius kids at the school excel and find friends until Troy, the son of a guard, runs off into the woods to make a stand. After a two week stand-off in which he captures and kills various pursuing agents using traps while making it clear he does not care what happens to him, his demands for freedom are met. The children at the facility are returned home and the Troy's traps are disabled as he releases the surviving agents.

Back in their hometown, the Miller brothers put their knowledge to work, doing people's taxes, consulting with the police and helping their father with all manner of machine repair. This period of bliss ends when David uses his savings to buy a car from a local woman and drives off without a word. These chapters focus on Carson's POV, showing the memory of his early days after the facility and his brother's abandonment, with mentions of headaches that have become the norm. He eventually experience symptoms that lead his doctor to send him for a brain scan, which reveals brain matter wrapped around part of his skull, a sure death sentence. With David's abandonment heavy on his mind, Carson comes to believe his brother knew and left so he wouldn't have to watch him die.

The chapters after the climactic two weeks are spent catching up with various gifted children released from the facility. In Troy's chapter, he recounts the event and reinforces his conviction. The book is written in various perspectives and Troy's chapters are like the diary entries of someone who's sure that others are reading his journal, a mood backed up by Troy recounting variations in his schedule that correspond with his entries. Noted in his chapters is a cross necklace with a simple inscription in plain view, and a longer inscription hidden by an invisible magnetic clasp. Those liberated from the facility mention interactions with David in passing, quoting him and telling how he inspired them. They all keep in touch and aside from Carson, who stays in his hometown for years, regularly meet face-to-face.

The story ends where it began with the Miller brothers, specifically David's perspective as he rushes into a West Coast hospital where his brother has been admitted after collapsing. Throughout the story it's implied that he's a bit of a puppet master, that Troy was working with or for him on the liberation plan, that he was too young for driver's ed when he drove off without proper paperwork, and left rather ambiguous what he spent the years since he left doing that he justifies as making sure what happened to him never happens again. On the way to Carson's room, he encounters federal agents "Please, just let me see him, let me be there for him now and I'll surrender, I swear. If I'm lying, I'm dying- seriously, you can kill me then. I'm begging you, please don't punish him for my crimes."

With the lead agent having served at the facility (and thus benefitted from the Miller brothers' insight during the two-week long crisis), he's allowed to pass with an agent posted outside the room. Having heard from his parents that Carson thought he left to avoid watching him die, David makes a point of correcting this assumption when his brother wakes. David held power of attorney over his brother and authorized- with his parents' support- a treatment which allowed Carson to wake up briefly- the treatment would normally worsen his odds but he was already nearing the end. Carson happily shares his work with his brother and says his goodbyes.

After his brothers passing, David walked out of the room and made one last plea "Let's take this outside, no need for my folks to witness the loss of both sons." They march him out into the night air where he drops to his knees and places his hands on his head. Every time before when agents cuffed him, there was an air of defiance. The contrasting resignation brings the story to a sharp, chilling close.

**Author's Note:**

> This could work into any number of established fandoms, such as Scorpion. I really hope someone takes the time to write this out.


End file.
